Cleaner for boiler feed-pipes.



No. 892,476. PATENTED JULY '7, 1908. J. H. WATTERS.

CLEANER FOR BOILER FEED PIPES.

APPLIGATION FILED 1113.17, 1908.

v warm, 5% 9 atto'omu o JOHN H. WATTERS, OF AUGUSTA, GEORGIA.

CLEANER FOR BOILER FEED-PIPES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July '7, 1908.

Application filed February 17, 1908. Serial No. 416,412.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. Wk TEiis, a

' citizen of the United States, residing at Auprovide a cleaning strainer which may be itself readily cleansed when it becomes fouled or clogged by the matters strained out from the feed water..

The invention comprises essentially a straining member or screen mounted on an axis at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the feed pipe and housed in a suitable casing provided with a discharge opening which; when the screen or strainer is in the operative position for removing extraneous matters fromthe feed water, serves to close the discharge opening so that the feed water will flow from the source of sup ly directly to-the injector for the boiler. ien, however, it is desired to cleanthe screen the latter may be moved at an angle to the feed water so as to uncover the discharge opening with out uncovering the conduit on' the boiler side. The water finding a means of, escape through the exhaust opening will serve to wash ofl the fouled surface of the. screen, and this may be further facilitated by directing a stream of;

steam against the boiler side of the screen so that the matter collected on the tank side of the screen will be forced away from the latter.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detail description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, in which drawings Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the screen and casing therefor. Fig. 2 is a cross section on the axis of the journal of the screen with the screen shown in elevation, and Fig.

3 is an elevation of the screen and its sup porting spindle removed from the casing and showing a slightly modified construction.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a cylindrical casing 1 from opposite sides of which pro'ect necks 2, 3, the neck 2 being externally t readed to receive the threaded collar of a suitable union coupling, and the neck 3 is internally threaded to receive the threaded'end of a pipe. The casing may be connected up in the water conduit in either direction, but for convenience in describing it will be assumed that the neck 2 is on the tank side and the neck 3 is on the boiler side, the structure being considered as being used in connection with locomotive boilers. The casing 1 iscylindric'al and has one head 4' formed inte ral with the cylindrical walls, while the ot er head 5 is removable therefrom and is secured to the casing by suitable cap screws 6. The head 4 may be formed with a central boss 7 in the inner face of which is formed a socket 8 for the reception of the corresponding end of a shaft or spindle 9. The other end of this. spindle extends through a central 0 ening formed in a boss 10 on the head 5, an this boss 10 is counterbored and threaded for the rece tion of a packing gland 11 confining su'itab e packing within the counterbore. The outerend of the shaft 9 beyond the gland 11 carries a connections to the engine cab in order that the shaft or s indle 9 may be rotated, for a pur ose whic will presently appear. The shaft or spindle 9 c'arriesa rectan ular, late 13, and at about the middle portion 0 said late and on one sideof the shaft the plate is ormed'with a prismatic enlargement 14 substantially triangular in cross section. The plate is made'fast through a longitudinal diametric slot in the spindle, and on each side of thisslot the plate is formed with series of perforations 15, or any suitable type of screen may be carried by the spindle 9, the purpose crank 12 from which there may be suitable being to interpose a screen member between the inlet and outlet ends of the casing for arresting any deleterious matter which might be contained in the su ply tank before it can reach the injector, an so clog the latter.

The casing 1 is provided about midway between the twonecks 2 and 3 with a radial neck 16 having a through passage 17 constituting an outlet for the casing at the bottom of the latter when in osition in the feed water supply pipe of t e boiler. The enlargement 14 is covered by an'inclosing member 18 which may be made of any suitable material but is-preferably made of rubber, and this will fitthe inner cylindrical wall of the casing sufficiently close when coincident with the opening 17 to form a closure therefor preventing the escape of water at this point; When the closure 18, which acts in the nature of a valve for closing the opening '17, is in the proper position to closesai 0 ening, then the semen 13 is at right ang es to the flow of the water through the casing and the water flowing through said casing must therefore pass through the perforations 15 so that the screen 13 Will prevent the passage beyond it of any matters which are not small enough to pass through the openings in the screen. Suppose, now, that the mechanism has been used long enough tobecome, clogged to a greater or less extent and it is desirable to c ean the screen, then the latter is moved about its axis by a suitable manipue lation of the connections to the crank 12, causing a .partial rotation of the spindle 9. This will move the screen away from its normal position until the valve 18 has completely unclosed the opening 17, or even to a point beyond this position. Now, the screen is moved into a more acute angle to. the stream of water and the latter will find an escape through the passage 17. This will serve to wash ofl the material from the faceof the screen which has arrested such material,

but in order'to more eflectively cleanse the screen, a stream of steam may bedirected back through the pipe from the boiler side of the screen and through the latter, thus blowing oii any matter which the water flowing out of the opening 17 will not carry away.

The cleansing of the screen is done very uickly so that there is no material waste of t e water or steam, and then the screen may be again brought back to its initial position covering the opening 17, and the feed water may then flow to the boiler. It is to be no ticed that at no time, whether the screen be in its normal active position 01 in the posi-.

tion to be cleansed, can the water reach the boiler except throu h the screen,;since at no time is there provided a by-path for the water around the screen. i

Instead of making the screen of a plate with perforations, it may be made in. the form of a suitable frame with metal netting, as indicated in Fig. 3.

What is claimed is V 1. In a feed water cleaning device, a suitable casing adapted to be interposed in the feed water pipe, said casing being provided with a discharge opening out of line with the normal direction of flow of feed water through the casing and a flat screen mounted in said casing for rotation about an axis at right angles to the direction of the flow of the water,

said screen having one edge enlarged to constitute a valve member closing the orifice.

when the screen is in active position.

2. In a feed water cleaning device, a cylindrical casing provided with means for accompanying the same in a feed water pipe and also provided with an exhaust o enin out of the line of the flow of water throng the pipe, and arectangular, flat screenmember' mounted in said casing for rotation about an 7 axis at right angles to the direction of'the flow of the water, said screen having one edge enlarged and prismatic in cross section to constitute a valve member arranged to close the exhaust opening of the casing when the screen is in active position.

3. In a feed water cleaner for steam boilers, a cylindrical casing formed with diametrically-opposite means for coupling the easing in the feed water pipe and with a dis:- charge opening out of line with the said coupe ling means, a spindle mounted in the axis of the casing at right angles to the direction or flow of the water, a screen member carried by the spindle and with substantially thesame area as the cross sectional area of the casing, 

